Washington freeze chills the whole economy
Manufacturing executives from across America told the New York Times that they are all but paralyzed by anxiety about the “fiscal cliff” and a potential drop in GDP as...
Bond guru to Wall St.: “You didn’t build that”
In his latest column, Bill Gross (pictured) almost echoes the refrains of Occupy Wall Street, charging that capital has prospered at workers’ and the public sector’s expense.
Are boomers doomed to live in trailers, clip coupons and eat dandelion leaves?
Though experts recommend a retirement nest egg of at least $1 million, less than half of middle-aged, middle-class DC participants have reached even $100,000, survey shows.
“Quote” of the Week
“I'm suggesting that be broken up so that the taxpayer will never be at risk, the depositors won’t be at risk, the leverage of the banks...
An Annuity Fee Record with an Asterisk
First-time annuity fee reporting from Raymond James Financial of $61 million boosted the quarterly bank/thrift annuity fee income numbers to a record high, according to the latest Michael White-ABIA...
The Mid-Point of a Trying Year
A slowing economy, falling interest rates and de-risking strategies made for mixed second quarter results at the major publicly-held annuity issuers (current and former), excepting perhaps Lincoln Financial.
Employment gains not likely without further stimulus: TrimTabs
“Since consumption is now 71% of GDP growth, the lack of jobs is having a negative impact on disposable income, which is pulling down economic growth,” said Madeline Schnapp,...
“Quote” of the Week
"The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function. One...
Managing volatility a key problem for retirement advisors: Natixis
In the area of public policy, 81% of advisors oppose proposals in Washington to scale back retirement savings incentives for 401(k) plans, according to the survey from Natixis Global...
Managing volatility a key problem for retirement advisors: Natixis
In the area of public policy, 81% of advisors oppose proposals in Washington to scale back retirement savings incentives for 401(k) plans, according to the survey from Natixis Global...
GDP growth rate of 2.8% predicted for 4Q 2012: Prudential
The 1.5% GDP growth in Q2 was due to weaker consumer and government spending and a negative trade balance. Bright spots were solid business investment spending and housing as...
Who’s Afraid of the Fiscal Cliff?
Not Bill Gale of the Brookings Institution. He recommends that we let the Bush tax cuts expire and the automatic spending cuts occur—and then to build a more sensible...
On Moshe Milevsky’s “The 7 Most Important Equations”
Each chapter in Prof. Milevsky's latest book focuses on a different important mathematical equation, on the genius who created it (or who won credit for creating it), and the...
What advisors were thinking at the Morningstar conference
Slightly more than half (52%) of the advisors surveyed agreed that “protecting clients from downside risk resulting from continued market volatility” is their greatest challenge, according to an Oppenheimer...
Looking through Morgan Stanley’s crystal ball
Fiscal policy is tightening in Europe and is likely to tighten in the US as the fiscal cliff approaches, says Morgan Stanley: "We expect the cliff to be...
For RIAs, life is good: Schwab survey
The median RIA firm increased revenues by 12% and AUM by 3.8%, marking a second consecutive year of record highs for the industry.
Vanguard to offer short-term TIPS index fund
The new fund will track the Barclays U.S. Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS) 0-5 Year Index, which measures the performance of TIPS with a remaining maturity of less than five...
New advisor legislation endorsed by Financial Planning Coalition
The Investment Adviser Examination and Improvement Act of 2012 bill was introduced by Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) and co-sponsored by Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA), and Representative Michael Capuano (D-MA).
The View from the Variable Annuity Trenches
VA issuers are a little like homeowners in the wake of the financial crisis: some carry a lot of risk and can do nothing but wait for the market...
The View from the Variable Annuity Trenches
VA issuers are a little like homeowners in the wake of the financial crisis: some carry a lot of risk and can do nothing but wait for the market...
